Descriptive Summary
Conditions Governing Access
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Other Finding Aids
Descriptive Summary
Title: Jacqueline Bacharach office records
Dates: 1982-2000
Collection number: 02-DPGTL
Creator:
Bacharach, Jacqueline
Collection Size:
9 boxes
3.34 linear feet
Repository:
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (LACMTA) Research Library and
Archive
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952
Abstract: The Jacqueline Bacharach office records document late
twentieth century Los Angeles transit history. By the early 1980's it became clear
that the division of power and responsibilities between the Los Angeles County
Transportation Commission (LACTC), local transit agencies such as the Southern
California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD), and local government bodies was proving
to be an obstacle to the rational and efficient development of a countywide mass
transit system. The reports and office correspondence in this collection illustrate
how these problems and their solutions were being formulated and developed by the
LACTC. Also at this time, the LACTC and its sister transit agencies were preparing
to re-introduce rail lines as part of the mass transit system of Los Angeles County.
Samples of the reports and studies generated at the early stages of these projects
are represented here. Detailed descriptions of series and folders is contained in
the Arrangement and Description section of this finding aid.
Physical location: LACMTA Research Library and Archive
Languages: English
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact LACMTA Research
Library and Archive to make an appointment.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the LACMTA Research Library
and Archive. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the
LACMTA Research Library and Archive as the owner of the physical items. The
researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from
reproduction or publication of materials from the LACMTA Research Library and
Archive collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Jacqueline Bacharach office records, 02-DPGTL. Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Agency Research Library and Archive.
Acquisition Information
The collection was donated to the Metro archives by Jacki Bacharach in 2006.
Processing Information
Processed by Patrick A. Stawski, 2006.
Biography / Administrative History
The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC) was created by the
California State legislature in 1976 as part of the County Transportation
Commissions Act. The privately owned and operated companies which had dominated
public transit in Los Angeles since the 1890's had given way in the 1960's to an
array of uncoordinated and disconnected publicly held agencies operating at state,
county and local levels. The mandate of the commissions was to oversee mass transit
planning and policy setting at the regional level, coordinating the previously
disparate efforts of the various local agencies and government bodies involved in
mass transit construction and operations.
The LACTC consisted of elected representatives from both county and municipal
governments and a private citizen appointed by the LA mayor and approved by the city
council. In 1980 LA County voters approved Proposition A, which established a
half-cent sales tax to fund regional transit planning and construction. 35% of the
revenues were to be allocated to rail, 25% to local cities for their local transit
needs, and the remaining 40% were designated as discretionary funds that would be
allocated as the LACTC saw fit. Due to legal wrangling, the tax did not go into
effect until 1982.
Jacqueline Bacharach came on board the commission in April of 1982. In 1980 she had
been elected to the city council of Rancho Palos Verdes, where she would serve as
mayor for three terms. Jacqueline was born in Chicago and raised in the San Fernando
Valley. She attended UCLA and graduated with a degree in Political Science. While at
UCLA she was active in the Young Democrats.
Bacharach was an active and committed commissioner. She chaired the Planning and
Mobility Improvement Committee for most of her years on the LACTC. She was part of
the inter-county agency that spearheaded commuter rail in the five counties of
Southern California. Later she was its first chairwoman when it became the Southern
California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) in 1991 (SCRRA today operates Metrolink
service). Jacqueline also headed the Rail Construction Corporation and the Blue Line
Committee at the time that Los Angeles was just beginning to rebuild its passenger
rail service.
During her term as LACTC Chairwoman, Bacharach prioritized system integration and
good public relations. In 1985, shortly after being elected Chairwoman, she stated
in ProMotion, the LACTC newsletter, her belief that "the key to progress...is a high
degree of cooperation and coordination among the other agencies involved with
transportation, such as SCRTD, SCAG, CTC, and Caltrans. Therefore, more
understanding and consideration of each other's needs and perspectives is one of my
highest priorities for my term as Commission chair". Bacharach also understood that
LA's transportation system was more than government business, it impacted every
citizen of the county. According to her, "everyone in this county, no matter who
they are, is affected by our transportation system. Therefore, we must share the
message of our activities as often as we can". Underlying her goals and principles,
was a keen awareness of the unique and important role that transportation played in
weaving together the urban fabric: "The transportation network is the spine upon
which the body grows. Housing, air quality, water availability, goods movement,
commercial and industrial success - all depend on adequate transportation."
Since leaving the LACTC, Jacqueline Bacharach has continued to be involved in transit
planning and design. She has served as Executive Director of the South Bay Cities
Council of Governments (SBCCOG), is part of the Executive Committee of Mobility 21,
a transit advocacy group in Los Angeles County, and is also involved in Compass, an
organization dedicated to sustainable development in Southern California. In
addition, Bacharach launched her own transit consultation firm, Jacqueline Bacharach
& Associates.
Note
List of Abbreviations
- CTC - California Transportation Commission
- LACMTA - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation
Authority
- LACTC - Los Angeles County Transportation Commission
- SCAG - Southern California Association of Governments
- SCRRA - Southern California Regional Rail Authority
- SCRTD - Southern California Rapid Transit District
Note
List of Sources
- - Compass Southern California, http://www.socalcompass.org/index.php
(accessed May 5, 2006).
- - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research
Library and Archive,
Los Angeles Transit
History
, available at
http://www.mta.net/about_us/library/transit_history.htm , (April
6,2006).
- - Los Angeles County Transportation Commission records, 06-DPGTL. Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library
and Archive.
- - LACMTA, "Goodbye Jacki, Ray, Judy and Jinny - We'll Miss You!",
Inside Moves, n. 3, March 1993, Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library
and Archive, LACTC Publications.
- - LACTC, "New Commission Chairwoman Jacki Bacharach Looks Ahead -
Discusses Her Objectives and Priorities for the LACTC's Next 12 Months",
Promotion, v.1, n.2, Winter 1985, Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library
and Archive, LACTC Publications.
- - Mobility 21, http://www.mobility21coalition.com/overview/index.html
(accessed May 5, 2006).
- - Palos Verdes Library District.
- - South Bay Cities Council of Government (SBCCOG),
http://www.southbaycities.org/ (accessed May 5, 2006).
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists mainly of reports, studies, and correspondence produced by
the LACTC. Please see individual series descriptions for more detail.
Another important source for researchers interested in Jacki Bacharach is the Los
Angeles Transportation Commission (LACTC) Collection at the MTA Archives. Especially
significant is
Series #7: Board Meeting Minutes. The
meeting minutes are in digital format; researchers can use a Google search option to
search the meeting minutes for "Bacharach". Researchers can access this series via
the LACMTA Research Library and Archive intranet website, under the section titled
"Board of Directors Policy Archives". Please contact the LACMTA Research Library and
Archive for more information.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically and by subject matter with the exception
of material that was part of larger binders of documents has been arranged according
to its original order. Oversized materials, which are mainly maps, are found in Box
9 of the collection. This collection is arranged in 10 series: 1. Long Term
Planning/Audits, 1982 – 1984. 2. Projects, Services, Policies, March 1982 – January
1985. 3. National and International Transit Systems, 1982 – 1984. 4. Long Beach –
Los Angeles Rail Transit Project, February 1982 – 1984. 5. Environmental Impact
Reports, 1982 – 1988. 6. LACTC and SCRTD Merger, 1985 – 1990. 7. Transit Studies in
Southern California Corridors, 1985 – 1991. 8. Workshops and Committee Meetings,
1991 – 1992. 9. Alameda Corridor/ Directories and Manuals, 1992 – 1993. 10. Jacki
Bacharach and Associates Consulting Firm Transit Studies, 1992 – 2002, 2012.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Bacharach,
Jacqueline
Bacharach, Jacki
Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Los Angeles County
Transportation Commission
Los Angeles Metropolitan
Transit Authority
Rail Construction
Corporation
Southern California Rapid
Transit District
Local Transit -- California --
Los Angeles County
Transportation -- California --
Los Angeles County
Local Transit -- Design and
construction -- California -- Los Angeles County
Local Transit - Community
relations - California - Los Angeles County
Women -
Transportation
Other Finding Aids
Los Angeles County Transportation Commission records, 06-DPGTL.